The present invention relates to a fuel feeding module for motor vehicles.
A fuel feeding module of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,475. This fuel feeding module has a storage container which is arranged in a fuel supply tank of the motor vehicle, and a feeding aggregate is located in the storage container for feeding the fuel from the storage container to an internal combustion engine of the motor vehicle. The feeding aggregate has a drive part and a pump part which is formed as a flow pump. The pump part has a rotatably driven impeller, which cooperates with at lest one flow passage for feeding the fuel. In the flow passage, a pressure increase of the fed fuel is obtained in the rotary direction of the impeller. The fuel feeding module also has a jet pump which is connected with the flow passage of the pump part, so that the jet pump supplies a part of the fuel fed from the pump part as a driving quantity. The connection of the jet pump with the flow passage is performed through a degassing opening of the flow. passage. During operation of the pump part, gas bubbles which are produced by strong heating of the fuel, negatively influence the fuel feeding and can escape from the flow passage. With gaseous fuel or a mixture of gaseous and liquid fuel, no optimal operation of the jet pump however is possible. The jet pump in the known fuel feeding module is arranged under the feeding aggregate between the latter and a bottom of the storage container. This results in a substantial mounting height of the fuel feeding aggregate, so that it can not be arranged in a flat supply tank.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel feeding aggregate which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides briefly stated, in a fuel feeding aggregate in which the jet pump is arranged laterally near the feeding aggregate and is connected, through a passage extending along the bottom of the storage container, with the flow passage of the pump part.
When the fuel feeding module is designed in accordance with the present invention, it eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art. More particularly it reduces the mounting height and therefore makes possible incorporation of the module in a flat fuel feeding tank.
In accordance with another feature of present invention, the passage is formed in the bottom of the storage container. It provides an especially small height of the fuel feeding module.
In accordance with a further feature of present invention, the passage is formed in a connecting element which is placed on the bottom of the storage container. This provides simple manufacture of the passage as well as of the bottom of the storage container and the cover element.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.